City Leaders Promote Safety Locks For Guns

Gun-owning Philadelphians need to know about a new law requiring their safe storage in your residence if minors are living with you. That means equipping guns with gun locks.

The bill was introduced last April by Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke, following a number of high-profile preventable tragedies involving children with firearms across the country. Approximately 265 children gained access to a firearm not equipped with a safety lock, and shot someone else or themselves.

Meeting at Temple University Hospital, whose emergency rooms have witnessed a heavy share of such accidents, on Aug. 1, to spread the word were City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Council Safety Chair Curtis Jones, Jr., Sheriff Jewell Williams, District Attorney Seth Williams, Temple Hospital officials and several community anti-gun-violence groups.

Kicking off the program was the announcement gun locks would be distributed to gun owners at several National Night Out locations in the city Aug. 1 and 2. (For more information on gun locks, owners may call the distribution hotline at (215) 686-3572.)

Clarke said, “Philadelphians are required to keep firearms and ammunition locked away out of the reach of any minors present in the home. This bill was necessary since Pennsylvania is one of 47 states that lack safe-storage laws, despite a number of high-profile tragedies involving children accessing deadly weapons.

“There are few things more outrageous than the death of a child by her own hands or the hands of a playmate or sibling, simply because adults did not act responsibly and keep guns locked far out of reach,” Clarke said. “Children who die in these entirely preventable tragedies are not the only victims: The children who pulled the trigger and the adults who failed to keep them safe must live with an indescribable shame for the rest of their lives. Keeping guns safely stored away from kids is inexpensive and easy, and I’m grateful to our partners for making these gun locks freely available to the public.”

“Gun violence is an epidemic in the city of Philadelphia,” said Amy Goldberg, MD, FACS, professor and chair of the Dept. of Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, surgeon-in-chief for Temple University Health System, and medical director of perioperative services at Temple University Hospital. “We’ve seen too many incidents where children have access to guns and accidently shoot others or themselves. One life is too many and whatever we can do to preserve a life is a step in the right direction.”“As an army officer and a Philadelphian, and most importantly as a dad, I know guns in the hands of people who should not have them can cause accidents, injuries and sometimes death,” said DA Williams. “It is an honor to stand with this coalition. I look forward to continuing to work with this team, and anyone else, who can help us distribute and advocate for the use of gun locks so we can do the important work of saving lives.”

“Sadly, as evidenced by the number of gun victims that are treated here at Temple and throughout Philadelphia, we are a city that is awash in firearms,” said Scott Charles, MAPP, trauma outreach coordinator at Temple University Hospital. “It is difficult for most people to comprehend the kind of damage that bullets do to the adult human body. The kind of devastation they cause small children is truly unthinkable. We have an obligation to protect our most vulnerable citizens from this kind of suffering and death.”

Approximately 1,000 gun locks were given away over two days of National Night Out events beginning Monday. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, there were more than 10,500 reported deaths from unintentional shootings from 1999 to 2014, of which 2,366 were deaths of minors. From 2001 to 2013, more than 215,000 nonfatal unintentional firearms injuries were reported, of which approximately 55,000 were injuries to minors.

“As part of our anti-crime efforts, giving away free gun locks to secure weapons, will make children safer in their own homes,” said Jones.

Also in attendance for the announcement at Temple University Hospital were Dr. Larry Kaiser, president & CEO, Temple University Health System; Dorothy Johnson Speight, Mothers in Charge; Bilal Qayyum, Father’s Day Rally Committee; Sandy Sheller, Sheller Family Foundation; Shira Goodman, CeaseFirePA; Rev. Bonnie Camarda, the Salvation Army; and representatives of Philadelphia CeaseFire.locked away out of the reach of any minors present in the home. This bill was necessary: Pennsylvania is one of 47 states that lack safe-storage laws, despite a number of high-profile tragedies involving children accessing deadly weapons.

“There are few things more outrageous than the death of a child by their own hand or the hands of a playmate or sibling, simply because adults did not act responsibly and keep guns locked far out of reach,” Clarke said. “Children who die in these entirely preventable tragedies are not the only victims: The children who pulled the trigger and the adults who failed to keep them safe must live with an indescribable shame for the rest of their lives. Keeping guns safely stored away from kids is inexpensive and easy, and I’m grateful to our partners for making these gun locks freely available to the public.”

Sheriff Williams added, “A gun lock is a tool that can be used to keep the public safe, including children and inexperienced gun-owners, regardless of whether the weapon is registered or not. The message is all about gun safety for everyone and saving lives. Got a gun? Get a gun lock!”

“As an army officer and a Philadelphian, and most importantly, as a dad, I know guns in the hands of people who should not have them can cause accidents, injuries and sometimes death,” said DA Williams. “It is an honor to stand with this coalition. I look forward to continuing to work with this team, and anyone else, who can help us distribute and advocate for the use of gun locks so we can do the important work of saving lives.”

“Gun violence is an epidemic in the city of Philadelphia,” said Amy Goldberg, MD, FACS, professor and chair of the Dept. of Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, surgeon-in-chief for Temple University Health System, and medical director of perioperative services at Temple University Hospital. “We’ve seen too many incidents where children have access to guns and accidently shoot others or themselves. One life is too many and whatever we can do to preserve a life is a step in the right direction.”

“Sadly, as evidenced by the number of gun victims that are treated here at Temple and throughout Philadelphia, we are a city that is awash in firearms,” said Scott Charles, MAPP, trauma outreach coordinator at Temple University Hospital. “It is difficult for most people to comprehend the kind of damage that bullets do to the adult human body. The kind of devastation they cause small children is truly unthinkable. We have an obligation to protect our most vulnerable citizens from this kind of suffering and death.”

Approximately 1,000 gun locks were given away over two days of National Night Out events beginning Monday. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, there were more than 10,500 reported deaths from unintentional shootings from 1999 to 2014, of which 2,366 were deaths of minors. From 2001 to 2013, more than 215,000 nonfatal unintentional firearms injuries were reported, of which approximately 55,000 were injuries to minors.

“As part of our anti-crime efforts, giving away free gun locks to secure weapons, will make children safer in their own homes,” said Jones.

Also in attendance for the announcement at Temple University Hospital were Dr. Larry Kaiser, president & CEO, Temple University Health System; Dorothy Johnson Speight, Mothers in Charge; Bilal Qayyum, Father’s Day Rally Committee; Sandy Sheller, Sheller Family Foundation; Shira Goodman, CeaseFirePA; Rev. Bonnie Camarda, the Salvation Army; and representatives of the Philadelphia branch of CeaseFirePA.